L.T.E. Forgot to Run Bus Service
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AN application by Windsorian Motor Coach Services, Ltd., to operate a feeder service between Old Windsor and Windsor, to serve their coastal services on Sunday mornings, was successfully 'opposed by the London Transport Executive before the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners at Reading last week.
Mr. Donald Try, general manager of Windsorian, said that on weekdays London Transport's services were satisfactory, but as the summer advanced last year, his company had many complaints about the difficulty of reaching Windsor on Sunday mornings. The early bus which London Transport had previously agreed to run to connect with Windsorian departures had not been running at all that year. When he informed London Transport the remembered it and reinstated it.
An executive assistant in the country bus and coach department of London Transport, Mr. Richard Turnbull, said that in November, 1951, the Executive altered the timing of its Staines-Windsor service on Sunday mornings at Windsorian's request, That service ran regularly from 1952-55 in the coaching season.
In 1956, a revision of schedules took place and it was arranged that the Sunday-morning feeder journey should be arranged by the local garage. Because of omission on the part of a local official, the journey was not run.
London Transport had now received a dispensation to operate the journey at an altered time in order that passengers could reach Windsor in time for Windsorian's departures.
For Windsorian, Mr. I. R. Amphlett submitted that it seemed absurd that London Transport, with all their commitments, should have to put on a special service. The economic and practical way was for Windsorian to operate the feeder. If passengers were left behind, it had a serious effect on the goodwill of Windsorian's business.
Mr. H. J. Thom, chairman, said that there was no evidence that when the bus was running anyone had any difficulty in getting into Windsor in good time.
"It is somewhat extraordinary that this bus should not have run. We can only attribute that omission to the fact that nationalized industries are so unwieldy that they don't know what is going on everywhere in their jurisdiction," he observed. "We regret we can't grant this application, and sincerely trust Windsorian will have no cause for complaint in the future."